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Monday, September 23, 2013

Watch Review: The Affordable (Under $30) Casio MTP-1239D-2A

Shortly after acquiring the Casio MTP-1183A-2A, I discovered its day-date variant, the MTP-1239D-2A. I initially dismissed it as I presumed it would be largely the same as the 1183A, but a picture of its bracelet revealed a push-button clasp as opposed to the friction clasp on the 1183A. The idea that I might be able to swap out the 1183A's friction clasp for a push button made me decide to take the plunge and pick up the 1239D.

When it arrived, the first thing I noticed was the blue of the dial. While the 1183A's dial is a muted, almost violet shade, the 1239D's is closer to the vibrant blue I've seen in Seiko's SARB series and approaches the "electric" blue of the reference 2253.80 Omega Seamaster I used to own. Looking at the image above, you might also notice that the positioning of the 12 o'clock indices is slightly more spaced on the 1239D's dial than the 1183A's. I think it provides stronger proportionality to the entire layout.

The bracelet also yielded interesting differences upon closer inspection. While virtually identical at first glance to the 1183A bracelet, its links are incompatible. Moreover, the bracelet's finishing is more of a matte, frosted finish than the brushed finish on the 1183A. Most surprising however was that the curve of the push-button clasp was less curved than the 1183A's clasp, making the fit much more angular and less appealing on my 6" wrist. That, coupled with what seems to my eye to be a better, more aesthetically pleasing finish on the 1183A's bracelet, led me to end up choosing the exact opposite combination I intended to when I first acquired the 1239D: The 1239D's head combined with the 1183A's bracelet.

Because of my watch box rule, the 1183A has been displaced by the 1239D, albeit in a hybridized form. The assembled package of 1183A bracelet and 1239D watch head costs about $45, which still clocks in at less than the vast majority of watches out there. And either the date-only 1183A or the day-date 1239D would make a fine single purchase, with the considerations raised above, at $20 and $25, respectively.